All is Fair in Love and War
by BeetleBug737
Summary: Aria can't remember who she is or where she's from, but now she has to start a farm and bring together two towns after years of fighting . Not only that, but she turns a few heads from boys in town . Just remember, all is fair in love and war . From Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns
1. Chapter 1

"Hey… Are you okay?"

It took a minute for it to register that that voice was talking to her. She was lying on the ground and felt the grass beneath her. Looking up, all she could see were blurred figures standing above her. The voice that had spoken to her was a man's voice. As her vision cleared, she was able to see where the voice came from.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said. She sat up and felt slightly dizzy.

The voice had come from the man standing on her right. He was an older man with a blonde moustache and a bowler hat. He held in his hand a scepter-looking thing with a horseshoe with wings on the top. His face was flushed with relief.

"Good. I was hoping we wouldn't have to take you to the infirmary."

"We thought you might have had a concussion," said a second voice.

The girl turned to her left and saw who had spoken. There was a stern looking woman with a long red dress and a pendent around her neck. Her hair was pulled back into an almost veil-like headdress. She had a heavy accent. What kind of accent, the girl did not know.

"Who are you?" the girl asked.

"My name is Ina. The man you just spoke to is Rutger," the woman said," What is your name?"

_(That is a good question)_ The girl thought to herself (_What __**is**__ my name?)_

"You wouldn't happen to be young Aria who was supposed to start a farm here?" Rutger asked.

Aria. She guessed that was her name. It seemed familiar, so she went with it.

"Yes, I am," she said, rising to her feet.

"Very well," said Rutger, smiling. "I suppose you were on your way to Bluebell weren't you?"

"Bluebell…?"

"Wait a second!" exclaimed Ina. "How are you so sure she was going to Bluebell? Maybe she was on her way to Konohana!"

"Why? Bluebell's description was much better in the pamphlet!" Rutger said angrily.

"Why don't we just ask Aria where she was going then?" Ina said shortly. "Well Aria, which is it?"

"Uh," Aria started," I…I haven't seen the pamphlets in a while. Could you describe the towns for me?"

"Of course." Rutger began, "Bluebell is a friendly animal-based town. Farming there consists of caring for animals such as cows and chickens." He stopped for a moment and smiled. "You won't find a nicer town anywhere."

"Hmph," then Ina began, "Konohana is a beautiful crop-based town. Farming is caring for plants and then enjoying the fruits of your labor."

There was a moment of silence before Rutger spoke.

"Well, what is your decision? Bluebell or Konohana?"

"Uh…well," Aria stuttered, "I think I'll got to Konohana."

She didn't think that she could handle animals having never been around them before, or that she could remember.

"Oh," Rutger said, disappointed. "Just remember that you're welcome anytime in Bluebell."

And with that, he turned and made his way down the mountain.

"Well then," said Ina, with a slight smile on her face, "let us go down to Konohana then."

She turned and began walking, so Aria began following her. Aria cast one last look at the mountain top, hoping she made the right decision.


	2. Home Sweet Home

**Hello! To whoever is reading this, I would like to say that this is my first fanfiction so I would love some constructive criticism. Also, I am going to post new chapters as much as I can, so if you want to, you can follow the story. Thanks! If you have any questions, leave it in a review and I'll answer it as soon as I can.**

As Aria trailed behind Ina, many thoughts ran through her head. Did she make the right decision? Would she be happy in Konohana? Would the locals accept her? Her thoughts were soon interrupted by Ina's familiar accent.

"Well here we are. This is the entrance to Konohana."

Aria looked as they walked between two cherry trees followed by two stone pillars. Ina then turned to the left, down a path in a forest of bamboo. Aria followed warily.

"Where are you taking me?" Aria queried.

"To your house," Ina answered simply. "Where else do you think you are going to stay?"

Aria was going to answer, but before she could, they walked into a clearing. Her eyes could not process what she was seeing. To her left there was an acre of lush green grass, and in front of her, about fifty feet away was a small pasture and a barn. Just beyond the grass was an adorable cottage with a gazebo styled roof. It was the most beautiful place she had ever seen. Or that she could remember. As they reached the house, Ina spoke.

"Here is your house," she began. "It is already furnished so there will be no need to buy furniture." She paused for a moment as if trying to remember something. "Oh yes! I almost forgot! Nori will be here in the morning to show you how to grow plants and she will give you a town tour."

Aria looked at the house in amazement before turning to Ina.

"What do I owe you? I don't have any money yet, but-"

She stopped abruptly as Ina held up her hand.

"You owe me nothing. This is all yours."

Aria stood there, her mind filled with disbelief.

"Th-thank you!" she stuttered.

Ina smiled, "My pleasure. I shall make my way home now. It's getting late, and I must get to bed. I would suggest you do the same."

"Okay. Good bye!"

Aria entered her house. She walked around, looking at the bookshelf and kitchen. When she went to see the table, she saw that an outfit was neatly folded on it. Looking down at herself she realized how dirty she was.

"I guess I do need to change," she said to herself.

After she changed, she looked in the mirror. Looking back at her was a thin girl with sandy brown hair and gray eyes. This was the first time she ever remembered seeing herself.

She looked at her clock and saw that it was only 8:00pm , but she was extremely tired. She crawled into bed, and before any thoughts could pass through her head, she fell asleep.

**I know this was a short chapter, but they will get longer. I just needed a good place to stop. The next one will be much longer, and a little more detailed. Also, I know that the story is flat, but it will get better! There is lots in store for Aria! **


	3. The Truth

The next morning, Aria woke to the sound of birds singing and sunlight beaming in her eyes. Looking at the clock, she saw that it was 6 a.m.

(_I guess I need to get up_) she thought to herself.

Slowly rising from her bed, she looked around. There was a calming haze as the sunlight shined through the windows and sent itself among the cottage. She made her way over to the kitchen, where she saw a pot, frying pan, cutting board, and a spice kit. Her stomach growled.

"I wish I could make something," she whispered, "but I don't know how to cook."

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. At that moment, she realized she hadn't brushed her hair.

"Be there in a second!" She quickly began looking for a hairbrush. After finding one in the tool box she brushed her hair and answered the door. Standing in front of her was a pretty Asian-looking girl with long, black hair. She was wearing a long pink dress and a pink headband.

"Hello," said Aria cautiously. "Who are you?"

The girl smiled. "My name is Nori. You're Aria aren't you? I came to teach you how to plant crops."

Aria remembered that Ina had mentioned that yesterday. "Oh yeah! Ina mentioned you would be coming."

Nori laughed. "I hoped she would. I hate to inconvenience people." Nori paused before clearing her throat and restarting, "Are you ready to start?"

"Yes, I am."

"Good, then let's head down to your fields"

An hour later, Aria knew everything about crops. In Aria's mind, Nori was a very good teacher.

"I know it's a lot to remember, but I'm sure you'll do fine." Nori turned and smiled at Aria.

Aria smiled back, "Thank you for teaching me all of this. I wouldn't have been able to learn this on my own."

"No problem," Nori replied. " Are you ready for a town tour?"

"Sure."

Nori showed her everything. She showed Aria where to buy pets (Kana's Animals), seeds (Gombe's Seeds), and general items (Raul's Shop). She also showed Aria the town hall, infirmary, and Mako's Orchard. She showed her the shipping bin and request board as well, and explained how each of them worked. At about noon, they ended up at Yun's Teahouse.

"That's all there is to see," Nori stated. Suddenly, her stomach growled. "Oh, I'm hungry. How about we eat lunch here?"

Aria realized how hungry she was and nodded her head. "That sounds like a great idea."

Within minutes, the two girls were seated each with a plate of sushi and a cup of tea in front of them.

As the girls ate, Aria started a conversation. "How long have you lived here Nori?"

Nori thought for a moment. "As long as I can remember. I've lived with my grandfather for most of my life." Nori stopped for a minute to wipe her mouth, and saw the questioning look on Aria's face . "My grandfather is Gombe. I don't think you've met him."

"No, I haven't," Aria replied.

"I would introduce you, but I think that meeting people is something that you need to do on your own." Nori smiled. "So what about your family? Where did you live before you moved here?"

Aria was a little embarrassed to admit anything, but felt she could trust Nori.

"Truthfully, I don't remember anything," she started. "After I hit my head on the way here, I forgot everything. Where I lived, who my family was. I almost forgot my name." Aria lowered her head, tears welling in her eyes. She wished she could remember it all again.

Nori reached out and patted Aria's arm reassuringly.

"It must not have been that important if you forgot. Maybe it's good that you don't remember."

Aria looked up and saw Nori looking at her with true caring in her eyes. Aria felt her spirits lift. She may not remember anything, but she felt she had made a friend.

"You're right," Aria admitted. "If those memories were truly important, it would take much more than hitting my head to make me forget them."

The girls ate their lunch and continued to talk about many different things. When they finished, they began walking back to Aria's house. Just as they were turning down the path to her house, Aria noticed another house just across from them. She stopped to get a better look at it. It was a circular house with a red roof and a small garden in the front.

"Hey Nori," she said, "you didn't show me this house."

Nori looked over. "Oh." She said, surprised. "To tell you the truth, I have no idea who lives there. You might need to ask Ina that." Nori looked at the sky and noticed that the sun was going down. "It's getting late. I need to get home." She began to head back to town. She turned back and waved "See you later, Aria!"

"You too!" Aria waved back. She then walked through the path to her house. As she stepped inside, she immediately felt tired. She wasted no time getting to bed. Her last thought before going to sleep was the question:

_Who lives in that house?_

**Hey! Sorry it took so long to get this one out. I promise you the story will get better over time, I just need to introduce things. Please leave reviews! I really want to know what you think of the story so far. Thanks**


	4. No Horsing Around

**ginassa1998: Thank you so much for your review! To answer your question, yes, I will add animals. It is normally the second or third day before the character gets their horse in the game, and I'm trying to keep it kinda close to the game setup. (She'll get barn animals too!) Thank you again!**

Aria woke the next morning to a sound at her door.

_Knock ,Knock ,Knock_

"Wha...," Aria moaned, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, "Who would be here at… 6 in the morning?!" she exclaimed as she looked at her clock.

Aria was astounded. Who comes to someone's door at 6 in the morning? Her thoughts were interrupted by another set of knocks on the door.

"Give me a minute!" She had to hurriedly find her hairbrush and brush her hair for the second morning in a row.

_(Is it THAT hard to give someone a heads up?_) she thought grumpily to herself.

As soon as she finished, she ran to answer the door. Standing just outside the door was Ina.

"Oh… Ina," Aria said in shock. She felt kind of guilty for her thoughts considering Ina had given her a house for free. "I didn't expect you to be here."

"Sorry I didn't tell you I was coming," Ina said sternly, "But there is something I need to give back to you."

"To me?"

"Yes, to you. Now if you would follow me."

Ina led Aria over to the barn area. Standing there was a handsome man about her age (Whatever age that was). He had brown hair and brown eyes. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and he seemed to have a muscular build. He was giving Aria a strange look. She felt a little uncomfortable.

Ina finally spoke. "Aria, this is Kana. He owns Kana's Animals."

He extended his hand. Aria shook it. "Nice to meet you," she said kindly.

He gave her a smile, "You too."

"Kana has been taking care of your horse." Ina stated, "It was injured from the accident, but has luckily made a full recovery."

(_My horse?) _ Aria was confused. She didn't remember having a horse, but then again, she didn't remember anything else either.

She was startled from her thinking when Kana whistled. She looked over at the barn just in time to see a beautiful white pony trotting towards them. It trotted right up to Aria and nuzzled her arm. Aria began to pet the horse and felt at ease.

"She's so pretty," Aria said, as if in a daze. She didn't know how she automatically knew it was a girl.

"She's all yours," Kana smiled. "By the way, what's her name? The only way I could get her attention was by whistling."

Aria looked at the horse. She saw the horse looking back into her eyes as if she was trying to say something. Suddenly a name popped into her head. She didn't know where it came from, only that she felt like that was her name.

"Xanai **(Zan-eye)**," Aria stated, "That's her name."

The horse whinnied delightedly and nuzzled her again.

"Good," Ina said," Now that that's all figured out, I need to head off to the town hall to work."

Ina left, leaving Kana and Aria standing there awkwardly.

"Well, I need to head back to the shop now," Kana stuttered. "Feel free to come by there any time." He waved good bye and then left as well.

Aria stood alone with her horse. The horse sudddenly whinnied.

Aria smiled as she said, "I'll ride you. Just let me water my crops and go meet the town. I'll be back before lunch."

The horse sighed softly and trotted back to the barn. Aria went and watered her plants and then headed to town.

(_Who should I go meet first?_) she wondered.

She decided to go meet Nori's grandfather, and then make her way around town.

All through the morning she met everyone. First she met Gombe who she found to be really nice. Then she went to meet Ayame (the doctor who runs the infirmary.) and Hiro. Hiro was very sweet and Aria liked him instantly **(NOT LIKE THAT).** Next was Raul, then Mako and Reina. Finally she ended up at Yun's. Yun was a very sweet lady and talked to Aria for a while. Aria liked Yun, too. Aria then met Ying, a sick girl who was very quiet and well-tempered. Aria wanted to be her friend. After meeting them, she went back home.

As she walked home, she decided to take a closer look at that other house. She walked up to it and tried to open the door. Locked. She then tried to peek in the window, but the curtains were pulled together.

"Ah well," Aria whispered to herself," I guess nobody lives there."

Then she noticed the garden. Walking over to it, she bent down to feel the dirt. It was wet. She straightened up.

(_If this ground is wet, then someone must have watered it_) she thought to herself.

She continued back to her house with her mind churning about who could live in that house. When she got back to her house, she saw her horse waiting for her.

"I'm coming." she said. She had almost forgotten about her horse.

Once on Xanai, she began to trot around. She had no memories of horse-back riding (**duh**), but felt likeshe had been on a horse before. She didn't think she could bring a horse into town, but she had a better idea.

"Wanna go up the mountain girl?" Aria asked the horse. Xanai's ears pricked up as if she understood, and then slowly nodded her head.

"Ok." smiled Aria.

When she got to the foot of the mountain, she stopped. The mountain looked rugged, but Aria suddenly began to feel adventurous. She suddenly had a crazy idea. As she slowly intertwined her fingers in Xanai's mane, she whispered:

"Xanai, let's see how fast you can run."

Xanai huffed in excitement and bolted up the mountain. The forest that lined the path blurred by as Aria hung on. Her heart was racing and she felt a sense of freedom. Her hair flew behind her as she watched the blurs go by. Aria had never felt better. They raced up the mountain for about 15 minutes before reaching the top. When they got there Aria got off of Xanai to give her a rest. While Xanai ate some grass, Aria went to look around.

After looking for a while, she came upon a spring. The water in the spring was clear and clean. Across the spring, she could see a beautiful oak tree. It was so serene here.

She broke her eyes away from the beauty and gazed up at the sky. The sun was setting and she knew she better get home. Before she left though, the strangest thought appeared in her mind.

(_I haven't bathed in days. Maybe I should go ahead and bathe here._)

So she stripped her clothes and got in. The water was the perfect temperature. It wasn't hot, but then again it wasn't cold either. After she bathed, she got out and put her clothes back on.

She walked to where Xanai was. The pony wore an expression of: _Where the heck have you been?!_

"I was bathing Xanai." Aria spoke, trying not to laugh. "Come on. Let's go home."

So they headed down the mountain and got back home. Xanai went back to the barn and Aria went into the house, fell on her bed, and fell asleep immediately.


	5. Geetings from Bluebell

**I am so sorry it took so long to get this one out! I've been busy and haven't had time. Enjoy!**

The next morning, Aria's eyes fluttered open as sunlight beamed down from the window. Birds twittered outside as Aria rose from her bed. She stretched and rubbed the sleep from her eyes before looking at the clock.

_(6 a.m.) _she thought to herself _(I guess I should get an early start on the day.)_

And with that, she brushed her hair and went outside to water her plants. She opened the door and looked down. To her surprise, there was an envelope on the ground. She picked it up and looked at the front, where it said: To Aria

She opened it and inside was 1000G and a letter.

Dear Aria, Here is some money to help you get started. Use it wisely.

-Ina

Turning the envelope over to the front, she noticed a small stamp in the corner. The stamp was blank except for an intricately written_ D_ in the middle. Behind the _D_ was a picture of a house with a red roof and a garden off to the side. The house in the picture was the same house she checked the day before! She wondered (_Could this be a clue to who lives in that house?_)Aria was quickly jerked from her thoughts as she heard her horse sigh impatiently. Looking up, she saw Xanai standing in front of her, swishing her tail irritatingly.

"Sorry, Xanai," Aria stuffed the envelope into her pocket, "I got lost in my thoughts."

She walked over to water her plants, her thoughts still on the envelope. While watering, she went over what she knew in her mind. She assumed this person got up earlier than she did, considering the envelope was already on her doorstep. She also assumed this person was busy all throughout the day because he never seemed to be at his house. The_ D_ on the envelope made her think that this person's name started with a _D._

She continued to think about it while she brushed Xanai and rode into town, but the thought was quickly pushed out of her mind as she looked at the request board. There were so many! The one that caught her eye was one Ying wrote. Ying needed a magic blue flower, which didn't seem too hard to get, so Aria took it. She also took one from Nori requesting 2 bamboo shoots.

After that, she mounted Xanai and made her way up the mountain. She stopped at a small clearing and began to look around. Seeing a small cliff got her curious. She walked up a small hill, trying to find a way up, when she saw a zip line. (_Maybe I can use this to get across._) She warily went over and grabbed the rope. It seemed fairly sturdy, and Aria really wanted to know what was on the other side. So she quickly took a breath and jump onto the zip line. (**YOLO ****)**

She went at a breakneck speed for a short distance before realizing she was nearing the end and about to hit a tree. She quickly jumped off and hit the ground before rolling. She stopped soon and stood up, making sure she wasn't injured.

"That went well," She said as she brushed herself off.

So this was the cliff top. She looked around and saw a small area of cleared bamboo. She ran over too it and began to inspect it. She found 3 bamboo shoots and a brown mushroom. She was very happy with herself until she began to wonder how she would get down. Looking over the side she noticed a dirt slide. It seemed to be the only way down, so she went with it. When she reached the bottom, she ran over to her horse and mounted her.

"Come on, girl. Let's keep going."

So that was how Aria's morning went. She rode her horse over the mountain, stopping every once in a while to find a honey-hole (**That's what I call them**). As she reached the other side of the mountain, she noticed she had reached the other town.

"Why not?" She asked herself, "I'll have to meet them sooner or later."

She very cautiously turned her horse into the entrance of the town. She noticed immediately that the buildings were different. She also noticed the paths were paved with cobblestone. She walked a little further when suddenly her stomach growled.

(_I need to find a place to eat._) she thought. She began to look around when she saw a little café. She walked over Xanai and dismounted before reading the sign: Howard's Café.

"Stay here Xanai. I'll just be a minute." And with that she walked in. She walked up to the counter and saw a man standing behind it. This man had curly blond hair and he was wearing… _lipstick_?! Aria tried to act like that was natural when he spoke to her.

She introduced herself and he introduced himself as Howard. She ordered her meal and then another girl walked in. She had blonde hair as well and introduced herself as Laney. When Aria finished she left and was just about out the door when she came face to face with a boy. He was lanky and wore a purple hound's tooth hat over his brownish-blond hair that nearly covered his bright green eyes. Aria thought he was very hansome.

"Oh. I'm sorry," Aria stuttered in surprise.

He didn't seem at all perturbed. "It's fine. I don't think we met."

"My name's Aria," she said, extending her hand.

"Cam." He shook her hand before saying, "See you around."

And with that, he walked past her into the café. She continued walking, not exactly sure what to think of Cam. She spent the rest of her afternoon introducing herself to the town when finally she ended up at Jessica's Livestock. She dismounted Xanai and walked inside.

Behind the counter was a plump woman with darker blonde hair and a bonnet sort of headwear over it. She smiled upon seeing Aria.

"Hello!" She greeted warmly, "You must be the new girl everyone is talking about. My name is Jessica. What is yours?"

"My name is Aria." Aria felt welcomed and calm. Suddenly a little girl burst through the door.

"Mommy! Ash says he needs the medicine. Milky's sick," the little girl looked like it was an emergency.

"Ok honey. But first you need to meet Aria." Jessica gestured at Aria.

The little girl looked at Aria. She had her mother's green eyes and blondish hair, except hers was longer. She looked to be about 8 years old.

"Hey!" the girl smiled, "My name's Cheryl! My brother told me about you."

Jessica handed Cheryl the medicine and the little girl quickly scurried out the door.

"Would you like to buy an animal?' Jessica offered.

Aria thought for a moment before saying, "Sure."

She looked at the list. It seemed that right now they only sold chicks and calves.

"I'll take a chick." Aria decided it would be better to start small.

"Ok," Jessica stated warmly. "That will be 700G. I'll also throw in 3 packs of feed."

While Aria finished the transaction, she talked to Jessica. They talked about a lot of topics and Aria decided that she liked talking to Jessica. Their conversation was interrupted when a young man walked through the door. He was thin, but slightly muscular. His hair was the same color as his mothers, but his eyes were blue. He didn't seem to notice Aria there.

Jessica spoke. "Hello, Ash! How's Milky?"

He took off his hat and wiped the sweat off his forehead. "She's gonna be fine. Just a little cold."

He then took notice of Aria.

"Hello. Who are you?" He queried.

"My name is Aria," She said simply. "You must be Ash."

"I am," he said smiling, "Did you just move here?"

"No. I live in Konohana."

Aria noticed a slight disappointment in Ash's face, but it disappeared so quickly she convinced herself she had imagined it.

"Well, I'm sure we'll still be friends." He said, still smiling.

Aria looked over at a clock she saw in the corner. The clock said it was 5 p.m.

"It's time I'd better get going." She said before turning to Jessica. "Thank you so much for the feed!"

"You're welcome! Stop by any time."

She then turned to the door and walked outside to her horse. After mounting her, she rode back over the mountain. The stone pillars at the entrance to Konohana were a welcoming sight. She rode over to the shipping bin and put the things she didn't need inside. After that she rode home and quickly went to sleep.

**Hey! This took a while to get out and I'm so sorry! I need to tell you that I'm going on vacation this weekend and won't be back till Monday, so I'll try to get one out then. Thanks so much and I appreciate reviews!**


	6. Rain, Rain

**Hello! To whichever guest reviewed: Thank you! There will be more interaction with all the boys; I just have to introduce them first. **** Also, the chick's name is Dulce (Spanish for candy). I just forgot to add that in the story. I edited chapter 5 a little so that it makes more sense, so please read that before this one or this chapter won't make as much sense. Enjoy!**

Aria woke the next morning to a sound she had yet to hear before. She slowly sat up in her bed and stretched before looking out the window. It was raining. _Hard_.

"Crap," she muttered to herself.

Aria normally didn't mind the rain, but today was different. She had to deliver the items in the requests she had taken and she wanted to check the honey holes again. On top of that, she also wanted to go back over the mountain to Bluebell to visit Jessica again.

Then she had an idea. She began searching through the tool box and came upon an umbrella. For a fleeting moment, she felt she had overcome her problem. But that moment passed as she realized something.

(_There is no way I can ride a horse and hold an umbrella at the same time._) she thought to herself.

She could easily walk into town with the umbrella, but there was no way she was going to walk over the mountain. She thought about her clothes. They were made of a thin material, so it seemed they would dry fast. After considering that, she decided it would be fine if she went over the mountain on her horse.

Aria went to leave. As she opened the door, she saw another envelope on her doorstep. I was surprisingly dry. She assumed it was money from the items she shipped and shoved it in her pocket. She walked over to her barn and went inside. It was nice and cozy inside. She walked over and checked on Dulce. After taking care of her, she went over to Xanai.

"Hey girl," she said while brushing her. Xanai replied with a content sigh. "I'm not taking you to ride yet, but I'll be back a little later," Aria promised. And with that, she wandered into town.

First, she decided to deliver the magic blue flower to Ying. Ying was very happy, and rewarded her with a piece of bamboo. Then, Aria went to Nori's.

She walked into the seed store and went into the wing off to the left where she knew that Nori and her grandfather lived. Walking into the kitchen, she saw Nori making tea, so she went over to talk to her.

"Hey Nori. I brought you your requested items," Aria smiled.

Nori turned to Aria before starting, "Oh! Hey Aria!" she gave Aria a hug, "Thanks for taking on the request." Aria then handed Nori the bamboo shoots.

"Thanks," Nori said smiling, " Here's your reward." Nori handed Aria some green tea. "Would you like to drink tea with me?" Nori queried.

"Sure!" Aria smiled.

In minutes, both girls were seated with a cup of tea in front of them, talking about their day.

"I'm just going to do what I do every day," Nori said sipping her tea, "Water the plants, look after Grandfather, the usual stuff." Nori put down her tea for a moment. "What about you Aria?"

"Well," Aria started, "Today I'm going over the mountain. I know it's raining, but I don't want to have to walk over the mountain just to hold an umbrella." Aria paused for a moment watching Nori's expression. It was a look of understanding mixed with horror. "I just hope that my clothes will dry before I have to meet anybody."

Nori sat for a moment before exclaiming, "I have an idea!" She ran out of the kitchen and came back with something in her arms. "Here," she said, plopping it on the table. "This is an outfit I was working on. I just finished this morning. Sadly it didn't fit me, but I'm sure it will fit you just fine!" Nori looked really happy. "When you get to Bluebell, you can change out of your wet clothes into these."

Aria was extremely grateful. "Thank you so much Nori! How much do I owe you?"

Nori shook her head, "Nothing. It's just something friends do for each other." She paused for a moment before continuing. "Actually, when you can, could you get me two bunches of wool?"

"Sure." Aria said. She had no idea where she would get wool, but she did owe Nori. "Well, goodbye Nori. Thanks for the tea and the clothes."

Nori grinned, "No problem."

Aria headed back to her farm and into the barn. She decided to take her cart along so she would have somewhere to put her clothes and items she found in the honey holes. After hooking up Xanai to the cart, she headed on to the mountain. As she made her way over, she stopped at every one of the holes.

By the time she made it over the mountain, she was soaked. Her hair was dripping wet, her clothes were stuck to her body, even her shoes sloshed as she made her way to Jessica's Livestock. Looking toward the store's field, she saw Ash making his way to the barn with Cheryl trailing behind. She dismounted Xanai, grabbed the clothes from the cart, and hurried into the shop.

She was then greeted by Jessica.

"Hello dear," Jessica realized that Aria was soaking wet, "What happened?!"

"Don't worry, Jessica," Aria started, "I'm fine. Is there any place that I can change into these clothes?"

'Yes," Jessica said with a smile, "You can go change in the bedroom area. I'll make sure nobody goes back there."

"Thank you," Aria grinned, then went to change. Within minutes, she was back out in a clean outfit.

The clothes fit very well and Aria liked them. It consisted of a lightweight white shirt with medium length sleeves under a blue vest, a short, yellow patterned skirt resting over a pair of light blue pants, and a pair of light brown boots. In her hair was a blue bandana with a flower barrette pined to it.

She walked out and showed Jessica.

"Much better," Jessica smiled, "Now, how about we go to the kitchen and whip up some lunch?"

As they made lunch for themselves, Ash, and Cheryl, Jessica told stories of Ash and Cheryl when they were younger.

"Ash always loved going into the mountains," Jessica reminisced, "he always came back with lots of magic red flowers. He absolutely loved them!" Jessica paused. "I'm not sure if he still likes them or not, but I just remember how he used to fawn over them. He and Cam both loved them."

"They are really pretty flowers," Aria said, looking over to the window. She noticed that there was sunlight beaming through. "Look!" she exclaimed, "The rain cleared up!"

Jessica looked out of the window and chuckled, "It sure did. Just in time for lunch too!"

And with that, Jessica went outside to call the two siblings inside for lunch. They all sat down and had a great meal. When they finished, Aria walked outside and Ash followed her. Jessica asked Cheryl to help her clean the dishes. Aria went over to her horse and pulled a red flower out of the cart.

( _Jessica said Ash liked magic red flowers_) she thought (_Maybe he'll like this._)

She looked and saw Ash walking toward the fence that held in the livestock.

"Hey Ash!" she said running over to him. He turned around to look at her.

"Yeah?"

She handed him the red flower.

"Here," she smiled, "I thought you might like this."

His face broke out into a smile. "Thanks! I really like this gift."

Aria smiled. "Well, I guess I'll see you later." With that, she walked over to her horse she was just about to mount her when Ash called.

"Aria!"

Aria turned around to his direction. "Yes?"

He seemed to be blushing, but it was hard to tell from that far away, "I don't know much about fashion, but I think that outfit is cool."

Aria grinned, "Thank you." She then mounted her horse and set off, leaving Ash to watch her as she rode away.

**Hey guys! I decided to stop this chapter mid-day because this day is kinda long. She will see Cam in the next chapter, so for those who like Cam, don't worry. Thank you for reading so far and thank you for the reviews! **


	7. Sowing the Seeds of Rage

**ZeroRei00: Thank you for the review! I know that Cam wasn't introduced properly, so there will be more dialogue between the two this chapter. I'm sorry it took so long to get this out. A family matter came up and it took a while to get sorted out. Expect more chapters soon!**

**Enjoy!**

As Aria rode into town, stomach full of Jessica's delicious cooking, she thought about where to go next. After finishing what she had wanted to accomplish, she was free for the rest of the afternoon.

_(I guess I'll just go rest in the town square. I've got nothing better to do.)_

She rode Xanai over to the statue in the middle of the square. It was and interesting statue of a cow, sheep, and chicken. The sheep was standing on the cow, and the chicken on the sheep.

_(It must be a symbol of Bluebell pride.)_ Aria giggled _(It's kind of a strange way of showing it though.)_

Surrounding the statue were four benches. Aria chose the one facing the town hall, took a seat, and looked at the sky. It was clear, with a few clouds left from the morning rain. Aria closed her eyes and felt the warmth of the sun, heard the sound of the birds twittering, and smelled the scent of spring flowers growing in the flower beds.

Aria reopened her eyes and began to look around. To her left was the carpenter's shop. The carpenter, Eileen, was outside chopping wood. In front of her stood the town hall, a great white building with a purple roof and neatly cared for flower beds outside the windows. Looking to her left, she saw Howard's Café. Howard was standing outside, so they must have been closed that day. Also to her left, she saw a flower stand. She was surprised to see a flower stand, considering this was an animal based town. But nothing surprised her more than who she saw standing behind the flower stand. Standing behind the flower stand making a bouquet was…

"Cam!" Aria quickly slapped her hands over her mouth. She hadn't meant to say that out loud!

Luckily, the purple clad man didn't hear. He just kept working on the bouquet, completely oblivious to Aria's shock.

But as Aria began to think about it, it really shouldn't have surprised her. She recalled that Jessica had said Cam and Ash loved the magic red flowers, so Cam must have put his passion into his work.

_(I should see if he has flower seeds.)_ she thought to herself. _(I still have a lot of space to fill in my fields, and Gombe doesn't sell flower seeds.) _

"Stay here Xanai," she whispered, "I'll be right back."

The horse gave her an inquisitive look, but shook her mane in an understanding sort of way.

Aria began to walk over to the stand. When she got there, Cam didn't even look up from his work. She didn't know if she should interrupt him, or just leave. She reminded herself that she needed the seeds, so she quickly thought of what to say.

"I… I would like to buy something," she wished she sounded more confident.

He looked up and looked a bit surprised. He moved the bouquet he was working on (taking his time while doing so) over to the left side of the stand, and then stood in front of her.

"How can I help you?" he asked. His tone indicated that he didn't want to help her, but that he knew he had to, while his face was expressionless.

Aria looked at the three items for sell sitting on the stand. Two were pack of seeds, while one was a flower. The seeds were for carnations and marguerites.

"How much are the seeds?" she asked.

"The carnations are 250G, and the marguerites are 140G." He sounded like he was getting impatient.

"I'll take two packs of marguerite seeds."

He reached behind the stand, pulled out 2 packs, and handed them to her.

"Is that all?" he asked.

"Yes." Aria took 280G out of her pocket and handed it to him.

"Thanks." He said, and before she could blink, he had his bouquet back in front of him.

She casually walked over to the side of the stand and leaned on it, looking at his work.

"That's a nice bouquet," she stated. She mentally face palmed herself. She sounded like an idiot.

"Thanks." He grunted noncommittally.

Aria stood there for a few moments in awkward silence.

"I didn't know you ran a flower stand," she said.

"You'd be the first." He said sarcastically.

"How long have you lived in Bluebell?"

"How long do you plan on standing here?"

She felt irritated.

"There's no need to be rude."

"There's no need to be nosy."

"I just want to know you better!"

"Is my name not enough?"

"I want to be your friend."

"Good for you."

Aria was angry now.

"Are you enjoying this?"

"Maybe."

That was it! Aria was furious. This boy was insulting her, and not even looking her in the eye while doing it. His sarcasm was throwing her over the edge!

"Fine!" She yelled. Cam jumped in surprise, a shocked look on his face.

"If you just plan on sitting there insulting me while I just want to be your friend, then fine!"

She rummaged in her pocket and pulled a red flower out slamming it on the table.

"I was going to try to get to know you and then give you this, but apparently that isn't going to happen!"

She started to storm off, leaving a shocked Cam behind her.

"Aria…"

She whipped around. "WHAT?!"

She saw Cam a few feet away standing behind his stand, holding the flower.

"Thanks. I really like it." He still looked a little shocked. Not over her anger, but the fact she gave him a gift even after he was such a jerk.

She just huffed and stormed over to her horse. The horse gave her another inquisitive look.

"Don't ask," she said through gritted teeth.

Xanai got the message and Aria quickly mounted her. As Aria rode up the mountain, she looked at her surroundings. The green grass, the towering, majestic trees, the gorgeous spring flowers blossoming. They all calmed her. By the time she reached the other side of the mountain, she was completely calmed from her interactions with Cam. She rode Xanai over to the shipping bin. She found more items on her way back over, so she put them all in the shipping box and headed home.

After putting Xanai away, she watered her plants again and walked inside her house. A wave of exhaustion suddenly came over her. She was barely able to make it to her bed before lying down and going to sleep.

**Hello! I had so much fun writing this chapter, so I hope you enjoyed reading it! I have another kind of "fanfic" I wrote yesterday. It's called The Flaw in His Love, and is about the Harvest King out of Harvest Moon Animal Parade. I would love it if you would read and review that along with this chapter. I love to know what you guys think and how I can do better! Thanks y'all!**


	8. Tomatoes and Oil

Aria woke the next morning to the sound of someone knocking on her door.

(_Really?_)She thought to herself (_This early in the morning?_)

Quickly getting up to get dressed, she dressed in her now dry Konohanian outfit and brushed her hair before answering the door. Standing there was Ina.

"Good morning," Aria said warily, "How may I help you?"

Ina had her usual scowl on her face. "Since you are new here, I thought you might need to know that today is the Cooking Festival."

Aria hadn't heard of this festival. A whole day devoted to cooking? Aria's confusion must have shown on her face.

"The Cooking Festival," Ina began, "is a day when the two towns come together and compete in a contest to see who has the better food." Ina smiled. "Of course, there should be no contest, for Konohana's food is the best." Her scowl returned. "Today is the salad challenge. I have brought ingredients for you to use."

Ina pulled a perfectly ripe tomato and a small vile of golden oil. Handing them to her, she said

"Use these to make caprese salad. You will need your cutting board. Be at the mountaintop at noon" She smiled. "Good luck."

And with that, she turned away and headed down the path, leaving Aria in the open doorway.

"Thanks," she muttered. Looking down, she saw the familiar envelope filled with money. Shoving it in her pocket, she walked to the back of her house to where the kitchen was and placed the tomato and oil on the counter.

(_I'll cook after I finish my work._) She thought

After that, she headed outside and worked. She fed her chicken and horse, picked up her chicken's egg, planted the flowers she bought the day before, and watered her crops. When she was done, she went back inside.

"I guess I'll try to make this caprane or whatever," she stated to herself, heading over to the kitchen. Picking up a knife, she started cutting the tomato into slices. She had no idea how she knew what to do, but she didn't question it. After that, she covered the tomato slices in oil . She didn't plate the food yet, but put them in a jar, and decided to bring a little container of pepper with her.

"Done," she said smiling. Looking at the clock, she saw it was 11:50.

"Oh crap!" she exclaimed, "I only have 10 minutes?! It'll take me at least 20!"

She grabbed everything she needed and bolted out the door. Once outside she immediately whistled for Xanai who was at her side in no time. It took her only a minute to get to the foot of the mountain. Her horse, running at a breakneck speed, made her get there just on time. She hopped off Xanai and headed into the festival.

Looking around, she saw chairs and different people sitting in them. She went up to the front and began plating her food. She fanned out the tomatoes like you would a hand of cards, and poured the remaining oil over them. Topping it off with pepper, she couldn't help but think to herself that this looked pretty dang good.

"Aria!" she heard a voice call. She turned to see Ash running towards her. She couldn't help but smile.

"Hey Ash!"

He stopped right next to her. "Are you entering the contest?" he asked.

"Yeah. Are you?" she queried.

He nodded. "Yeah, my mother and I are entering. Each team has 3, so we got Howard to join us too."

"Cool," she said. Who was on her team she wondered. She hoped Nori would. Nori seemed like a good cook. And Yun. With Yun, they'd be unstoppable.

"Well good luck! I gotta get back to my team," he said.

"Yeah, you too."

With that, he waved and walked back over to the Bluebell side.

Then the match began.

Konohana's team consisted of Yun, Nori and Aria (To Aria's delight), and she learned the rules. The scoring system is based on X's, checks, and hearts. X's are the worst, checks are ok, and hearts are the best. There is to be no sabotaging of another team's food, no cursing, and no questioning the judge's decision. The judge was a blonde guy in a purple suit named Gourmet.

"I'm so happy to be able to taste all this wonderful food today!" he said grinning. "I'll start with Bluebell's food."

He walked over to the Bluebell table and first tried Jessica's food.

"Delicious!" He exclaimed before marking something on a sheet of paper. He did the same thing throughout the other two and for the first Nori and Yun, but said different things for each dish. Finally, he got to Aria.

Looking at her, he smiled, "I guess you're new here." He said

Aria gave him a nervous smile, "Yeah."

He chuckled and tasted her food. His face changed immediately and he quickly scribbled down something on his piece of paper. Walking to the front of the audience, he stated:

"I now have the results. First, Bluebell's team," he read from the paper: "Ash: check, Jessica: heart, Howard: heart."

The Bluebell side clapped. The scores were actually really good. This made Aria a bit nervous.

"Now, Konohana's team." The audience quieted. "Nori: check, Yun: Heart, and Aria…"

The audience held their breath. This was the deciding score. Aria felt she may vomit.

"Due to Aria's excellency in such fine cuisine, I give her the goddess mark." He smiled.

The Konohana side went wild. They had won! The next thing Aria knew, she was being carried by the town down the mountain for a celebration. Looking back, she saw the sullen faces of the Bluebell folks and felt a bit guilty, but it was quickly pushed out of her thoughts as the Konohanians cahnted her name. They partied for hours, and came together like a family. It was in that moment, Aria knew where she belonged.

**Hey you guys! Sorry it took so long to get this out. School has been rough, and I just barely had time to write this today. I plan on starting another story for people who like Animal Parade and Owen from that game. **** Favorite and follow if you want. Please leave a review so I can see what y'all think!- BeetleBug**


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